The invention relates to a reactor for highly viscous media.
German Patent 21 00 615 discloses a reaction vessel for materials in the flowable state, in particular, for the polycondensation of prepolymers to high molecular weight polyester, which comprises a horizontally oriented reactor casing with an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end and a cage-like device for moving and delivering the flowable material located in the lower region of the reactor interior and rotatable with limited clearance about a shaft running in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the reactor casing. The cage-like device has longitudinal struts and circular disks fixed to the struts. Successively the circular disks are inclined with respect to the rotation axis in the direction thereof in such a way that on rotating the cage-like device the materials are conveyed from the inlet to the outlet. It is possible with such a reaction vessel to both mix the flowable material and convey it in the reactor and to always re-form free surfaces.
It has been found that this reactor is not completely suitable for the treatment of highly viscous or pasty materials, such as polyamide, which is tougher than polyester, or polyester used for directly spun tire cords, because, although the reactor ensures the necessary shearing action and therefore mixing of the materials, it does not lead to a uniform self-cleaning which is necessary due to the adhesion of the highly viscous medium to the reactor elements.